The violently intense onset was reported by NOAA's Fairfield Weather Station as a Squall - which they define as a "sudden violent gust of wind or a localized storm" - and it began in West Essex at 4:44pm, followed by Thunderstorms which continued until 6:01pm. ​

In this very short period of time, the Winds, Lightning, and Rain caused a huge amount of damage around the West Essex area.

What follows is a timeline of incidents chronicled as they were reported (not as they occured) to which Police, Fire and DPW crews responded and worked tirelessly to clean up for days:

Tuesday, May 15

4:44pm

Caldwell: Grover Lane by Hatfield Street

Live wires down​

Caldwell: Gladding Road by tennis courts

Tree uprooted, fell into house; large branch of it pulled down Live Wires

Gladding Road closed

4:46pm

North Caldwell: East Greenbrook at Mountain Avenue

Accident

4:48pm

Fairfield: Krauser's Parking Lot, Hollywood Avenue

Live wires down on unoccupied car, Active Fire

4:49pm

Fairfield: Carlos Drive

Active Brush Fire

4:50pm

Caldwell: Thomas Street near cemetary

Large Tree uprooted and pulled down Utility Pole

Transformer Fire

Live Wires on car

Caldwell: Prospect Street near cemetary

Transformer Fire

All available first responders were called to report to headquarters.

4:51pm

West Caldwell: Mountain Avenue near Arbor Road

Live Wires down

North Caldwell: Mountain Avenue near Arbor Road

Transformer Fire

Mountain Avenue shut down

4:55pm

Fairfield: Dwight Place at Gramon School

Live Wires down near School and actively burning on side of building by playground,

CALDWELL, NJ - Late this afternoon, acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Caldwell Police Chief James H. Bongiorno announced that Jose Lazaro Gonzalez, 18, of Caldwell had been arrested for the murder of his cousin, Marvin Lazaro, 27, also of Caldwell.

According to the officials, Gonzalez has been charged with:

murder

possession of a weapon

possession of a weapon for unlawful purpose

Reportedly, on Sunday, Feb. 26, at about 2:30pm, Lazaro was fatally stabbed in an apartment he shared with three other men in the 400 block of Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell.

It is believed that the victim and his roommates, all cousins, are from Guatemala.

Gonzalez fled to Missouri where he was arrested in a Greyhound Bus station in Kansas City. He is awaiting extradition.

The homicide is being investigated by the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force and the Caldwell Police Department.

On Sunday, Feb. 26, a young man was fatally stabbed in an apartment above a business he shared with other men in the 400 block of Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell.

The name of the victim is not being released at this time because his identity has not been formally confirmed and next of kin have not been notified. It is believed that the victim is from Guatemala and was living and working in Caldwell.

The incident occurred at approximately 2:30 p.m. The preliminary investigation indicates this was not a stranger to stranger attack. The victim and the attacker are believed to have known one another.

At this time no arrests have been made.

The investigation is active and ongoing. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.

CALDWELL, NJ - For the third year, the Caldwell Police Department will be participating in the Giant's Snow Bowl. The event, which features flag football teams and benefits the NJ Special Olympics, will take place the weekend of March 3 at MetLife Stadium. ​Coached by Co-Captains Officer Rob Adams and Officer Matt DeAngelo, the team has raised more than $10,000 over the course of two years.

The official 6-on-6 flag football tournament with light blocking is played over three days:

"We're honored to participate in this event every year and raise money for a great cause," DeAngelo expressed. "We really hope others can join our fundraising team and donate what they can to help out the New Jersey Special Olympics."

Last year, Team Caldwell PD was able to raise $5,810 and were also honored with the NJ Special Olympics Touchdown Trophy for raising over $5,000 and being one of the event's top fundraisers. The team finished number #6 out of 147 teams that participated in the event for fundraising and have a team record of 8-2. This year, the team's goal is to raise $6,000. ​

The team members can also accept checks made out to New Jersey Special Olympics. All proceeds collected by the team will benefit Special Olympics New Jersey which allows the group to provide sports training, competition, leadership opportunities and health screenings to more than 25,000 athletes.

Team Caldwell PD Credit: NJ Special Olympics

Team Caldwell PD Credit: NJ Special Olympics

Team Caldwell PD Credit: NJ Special Olympics

Examples of where your money goes:

$25Purchases ten Special Olympics gold medals

$50Sends one athelete to the Special Olympics

$100Purchases one adaptive bowling ramp

$250Purchases uniforms for an entire basketball team

$500Reserves tennis courts for competitions

$1000Purchases travel fees to the Special Olympics State Tournament for the entire Floor Hockey team

According to Acting Essex County Prosecutor Carolyn A. Murray and Caldwell Police Chief James H. Bongiorno, a driver and two passengers were traveling southbound on Mountain Avenue in a 2015 Ford Mustang when they crashed into a telephone pole and a tree at about 11:30pm. The front seat passenger, Theo Walsh, 23, of East Orange was pronounced dead at the scene.

A North Caldwell Police Patrol Officer first noticed the high rate of speed the car was traveling at and while they were calling the information into dispatchers they then heard the crash and reported it immediately. At 3am Tuesday morning, the Fire Department returned to the scene to provide lighting for the investigation which continued until 8:30am; Mountain Avenue remained closed between Elm Road and Forest Avenue.

The driver, Devon Smith, 22, of Newark, was taken to University Hospital where on Tuesday he succumbed to the injuries he sustained in the crash. Smith was in his third year at Kean University. The backseat passenger, 18, a college studentalso of Newark, sustained serious injuries and remains hospitalized in critical condition. Their name is not being released at this time.

The crash which is being investigated by the Caldwell Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force.

CALDWELL / WEST CALDWELL, NJ - On Monday morning, reports came into the Caldwell Police and West Caldwell Policeof cars having been stolen overnight. In total, three cars were reported to have been taken from Crane Avenue and Brookside Avenues and the residents were not aware of the timeframe; the distance between the two roads is about a five minute car ride.

Capt. Gerard Paris of West Caldwell Police confirmed that a Crane Avenue resident went out at about 7am to find that two of their vehicles had been stolen from their driveway:

2012 gray Jeep Cherokee

2014 green Jeep Cherokee

Caldwell Police, however, upon closing the investigation determined that the Brookside Avenue car was NOT stolen.

Mauer ended up being charged on Monday with the burglary of a residence on Jackson Place, Caldwell. In addition, Mauer was also charged with theft and criminal mischief for damage done to the residence.

According to Palatucci, the crime was random. It appears Mauer gained entry to the home through a front window and she reportedly went on to steal cash and jewelry. The criminal mischief charges arose from damage which was done to furniture inside the home and to the window. Mauer had previously been arrested in Essex Fells for burglary.

Maurer was released on bail and is scheduled to appear in the Essex County Superior Court.

CALDWELL, NJ - The Caldwell Policeare continuing to investigate a bank robbery which occurred on Tuesday, last week, at the Lakeland Bank, located at 49 Bloomfield Avenue in Caldwell. The incident happened about 10:09am when the bank notified police that a man, who said he had a handgun, stole $600 from their location. The suspect reportedly did not display any weapon and then fled the scene into the area of Hilltop, near Mountain Avenue.

A perimeter was set up around the location and the Sheriff's Office K-9 Unit also responded to aid in the search. During the same time period, law officials reviewed the bank video and noted that the suspect apparently left behind a pair of green sunglasses which the dogs used in an attempt to pick up his scent.

For several hours, a very large police presence searched the neighborhoods and drove throughout the immediate area.